Roger Goodell was in over his head when it came to an issue that gravely impacted real people. But something innocuous like deflate-gate? That's right in the commissioner's wheelhouse.
The backbone Goodell lacked in dealing with domestic violence and concussions showed up instantly when he was asked in his annual state of the league news conference about the relatively trivial topic of football air pressure.
"This is my job," he announced on Friday. "My responsibility is to protect the game."
It was an appropriate retort to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's assertion that the league apologize if no chicanery is found in the NFL's investigation of deflated footballs in the AFC championship game. Goodell is right: he has nothing to apologize for. The rules are the rules, and even if no advantage was gleaned, illegal is illegal and should be punished. Even if the deflation wasn't intentional, this is worth investigating.
"I have to pursue that aggressively," Goodell said.
Of course Goodell is nowhere near that convincing when his promise to "protect the game" is subbed out for "protect the humans involved in the game." The league's real crisis isn't footballs, it's the football community, and Goodell is still fighting to regain credibility as a leader in that area. He was better on that topic on Friday than in the past, mentioning his visits to domestic violence shelters and describing the fear he sensed in speaking to victims, but it's still unclear how his league is going to help alleviate that fear when a spouse or loved one is beaten by a player in his league and then becomes frightened that larger powers will cause further anguish to those who ask for help.
The Super Bowl will bring a powerful and effective TV ad depicting a domestic violence victim calling 911 and terrified to tell her real story because the abuser is in the room with her. For victims of professional athletes, the terror is augmented because there is an unseen menace protecting the interests of the abuser. Mitigating that fear is where Goodell needs to do his best work.
Goodell has launched what seems like a million investigations, but the deflate-gate inquiry is needed and right. He farmed it out to Ted Wells, known for his work on the Miami Dolphins' 2013 bullying scandal, and the findings that come from that should be credible. The Patriots and their fans are upset and feel attacked, but equipment fraud is a historic problem in all sports – everything from spit balls to hockey stick curvature to pine tar – and Goodell must look into it even if the advantage gleaned was negligible. If nothing is found and the Patriots are innocent, it's still better than looking the other way.
That's because looking the other way has been the major failure of the Goodell era. The commissioner is charged with ignoring the concussion crisis and the domestic violence problem that still threaten his league and legacy. His reputation is for being too close to well-heeled parties and too ignorant of the needs and concerns of players and their families. Even on Friday, when he could have and should have started with some words about domestic violence, he spoke of changes to officiating crews before he spoke of changes to the conduct policy. It was disappointing but hardly unexpected.
Goodell is right to aim for something noble: football as a beacon for society. It's to his credit when he said, "it's on us" to realize and embrace the chance to do good. But it's still clear that he's so much stronger between the lines than he is on issues that matter. It's easy for him to talk about Marshawn Lynch and the privilege of speaking to fans through media. It's easy for him to push back against his buddy Kraft. It's harder for him to fix the league's most sinister problem: that the brute force of the game and the league make professional football seem like a bulldozer that will run over real people without even noticing.
Goodell is great at driving the bulldozer. He's not very good at slamming on the brakes.
Asked about butting heads with Kraft, Goodell said, "Since he knows me so well and he knows I wouldn't do anything to compromise the integrity of the league, I think he has no doubt I'll do the right thing for the NFL."
That sounds a lot more convincing when he's talking about air pressure rather than domestic violence victims. The integrity of the league has indeed been comprised. There is real doubt he'll do the right thing for the NFL.
So even though it's easy to think deflate-gate is a headache for the league in terms of timing, it's quite the opposite. Deflate-gate is perfect for the league during Super Bowl week. It's a diversion from the real crisis and something that everyone can discuss and joke about. The Patriots can seem proud and indignant, and the commissioner can seem strong and active. Both sides will win when the TV ratings are off the charts and the NFL comes out with an outsourced investigation that gives it a free news cycle in the weeks between the Super Bowl and the NFL draft.
Goodell was good on deflate-gate on Friday. He defended the shield. He appeared proactive instead of reactive. He boomed, "It's my job" with clarity and conviction.
That is a battle he can win. But there are much bigger problems that are still unsolved, and that is the war Goodell is still losing.
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